


Gabriel's Vulnerability

by Jcapasso916



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:11:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5170157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jcapasso916/pseuds/Jcapasso916
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel has kept all feelings locked away for centuries refusing to allow himself to be vulnerable to anyone ever again. Can a young hunter worm his way through the walls that protect Gabriel's heart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gabriel's Vulnerability

**Author's Note:**

> A/n: This picks up at the end of Changing Channels. There are a few changes, most of which will be explained, like Gabriel using the past tense when talking about how he felt at his family, and the fact that he was far less vulnerable and far more angry during his talk with the boys. Rather than rewrite the entire scene, I decided to just summarize after the fact. And I know they didn’t move into the bunker until well after this story takes place, but I just love the bunker so in this story they found it early even though it plays very little part in the story.

As the Winchesters left the warehouse after the revelation that the trickster was really the archangel Gabriel, Sam found himself deep in thought. He couldn’t help but relate with him. He too had fled a volatile family situation. He also caught the past tense the archangel used when he said that he loved his family. Like he didn’t anymore, but Sam saw through it. He was doing the same thing that Dean did. Cover his feelings with sarcasm and anger. He couldn’t say it was pleasant seeing the archangel that angry though. 

Once he was free of the holy fire, Gabriel snapped himself away. He needed to blow off some steam by killing some people who deserved it. A few hours and three deaths later, he finally relaxed. How dare they presume to know him. It’s not like they could kill each other when it was clearly warranted either, and they just expect him to kill his brother, because they screwed up. There was one thing he hated more than anything else, and that was to be vulnerable. He used to be vulnerable. He used to have feelings, and where did that get him? Betrayed and nearly killed at the hands of the people he loved. He was so done with it. Had been done with it for centuries, and now those stupid hunters had to come along and mess everything up and make him remember what it was like to feel. Screw that! Feelings were for the weak, and Gabriel vowed when he left heaven to never be weak again. 

 

They asked why he cared. He was there to save their asses and they give him the third degree? “I don't care. But, me and Kali we, uh, had a thing. Chick was all hands. What can I say? I'm sentimental” He quipped.” Better that they think he is sentimental over Kali, than them, and that it’s no big deal. They can’t exploit that. 

Sam rolled his eyes. He let Gabriel off with his avoidance last time, but he decided to call him on it this time. He recognized the pain in his eyes as the same he saw in that warehouse. He also saw right through the Kali excuse. Kali wasn’t the one he was trying to get out of there. “Bullshit Gabriel. You care. And you hate that you care.”

Gabriel whipped his head around and gave him a glare so forceful that if looks could kill, the younger Winchester would have disintegrated where he stood. “Do not try to psychoanalyze me Winchester,” Gabriel snarled at him as every light bulb in the room shattered. If it hadn’t been for the light coming in the window it would have been pitch black in the room. 

Sam instinctively took a deep breath and stepped back. He apparently only thought that he had seen Gabriel angry at that warehouse. This was a whole new level though. He made a mental note never to back the wayward archangel into a corner emotionally. 

Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath and when he opened them again, the trickster was back, with amusement in his eyes, except for the pain hiding behind it that both hunters now knew better than to bring up. 

Once his plan to get the blood failed, and Kali attempted to kill him, he went and hid in the parking lot, which was the furthest he could go with the blood spell on him. He tried to re-evaluate the situation and see how he could get out of this. He saw Dean letting the humans out, and wondered what they were up to, and he could only assume that he made some sort of deal with the pagans to help them fight. He closed his eyes and willed himself to go back to the cold, unfeeling creature he had been for centuries, sighing when it didn’t work. He groaned aloud when he felt the grace of his brother arrive. This was going to be a bloodbath, and Sam and Dean were trapped inside. He argued with himself for a few more minutes, before he came to the conclusion that he had to try, and if he died, well, at least he wouldn’t be feeling anything anymore. When he popped back into the ballroom, Kali was the only one left standing and the Winchesters were cowering behind the tale out of the line of fire…literally. It seemed that they did have some sense at least. He appeared next to them behind the table and pressed the dvd into Dean’s hands with the warning to guard it with his life. If Gabriel failed here, and let’s face it, that’s the likely scenario, even if he did have a backup plan in place to survive, this was their one out. He would not interfere again, but the DVD left them instructions on how to trap Lucifer again. It was on them after that. 

As Dean was pulling Kali out the door, Sam hesitated. He didn’t want to leave Gabriel there. Gabriel met his eyes with a fierceness only he could pull off, and when Dean called to him he had no choice but to go.

 

After watching the DVD Sam closed his eyes in pain. His thoughts were filled with sandy hair and whiskey colored eyes and wishing he had said something else…anything else, but knowing that nothing he said would have been heard. Dean noticed the pain on his face and realized that his brother had somehow fallen for the archangel. He almost said, “Really Sam? The archdouche?” but caught himself in time. Now wasn’t the time. 

 

Thankfully his big brother liked to monologue before he killed. He managed to replace himself with a duplicate at the last minute, but he was still in serious condition. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it would take him months, or longer to recuperate, if he did at all. Keeping the illusion up until Lucifer left, was extremely draining on his little remaining grace. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go, it seemed he had to go with plan C. Once again, he cursed himself for allowing himself to care for the hardheaded hunters, but it didn’t really matter anyway. He had barely managed to make it to his hideout as it was. By the time he was in any condition to help them again, it would all be over one way or another. He slowly drifted into unconsciousness, not knowing whether he would wake again or not. 

It ended up being nearly a month before he woke. Luckily angels don’t need to eat or drink anything to survive or he would have died, He still could barely get out of bed, but he did have enough grace to snap up a tv for something to watch...barely. He much preferred playing in pocket dimensions, or meting out just desserts to deserving assholes, but at this particular moment he considered himself lucky to be alive, so he contented himself with the television. 

It was a few more weeks before he had the strength to start snapping up sweets and getting out of bed regularly. Travel was still beyond him though so he was going completely stir crazy. More than once he considered knocking himself out again for another couple months when he would be recovered enough to do something…anything. In fact, he would have knocked himself out again if he could think of a way to do it. He wasn’t made to sit still for so long. 

It was during one of his frustrated rants to no one, that he heard the chaos of the angels. “Michael and Lucifer are locked in the cage! Dragged in by their vessels!” Gabriel just sat. It didn’t matter that there was nothing to sit on at that moment except the floor. He closed his eyes and willed away all the emotions that were springing up. They actually did it. They sacrificed themselves to do it, but it was done. The Winchesters were gone. 

Gabriel was fully recovered a few months later and went back to his trickster ways. He may no longer be welcome among the pagans, but at least the angels didn’t know he was still alive. He was still in hiding from them, and archangel or not, he still considered himself Loki. Gabriel was the weak-willed child that was forced to flee heaven…and the weak-willed archangel that let himself grow attached to a pair of idiotic hunters. By the time he recovered from his injuries, his mask and his walls were firmly back in place. It was more than a year after that before he had another run-in with the Winchesters. 

 

Sam and Dean were working a case in a small town in North Dakota and were going over the facts of the case. “Does this seem…familiar…to you? Sam asked warily. 

“I was hoping that was just me. You think someone took on Gabriel’s trickster persona?”

“Or it’s him,” Sam didn’t dare to hope, but couldn’t help it.

“He’s dead Sam,” Dean said resolutely. He refused to consider otherwise, because if he was alive, then he left them with the shitstorm that resulted in Sam getting locked in the cage and then losing his soul.

They knew Gabriel well enough to be able to track him down though. Sam first noticed the sunlight glinting off hair the color of a sandy beach and his stomach lurched. He signaled Dean and they followed him. When they caught up to him, they all just stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, though for Sam he was just milking in the appearance of the archangel that he only admitted that he loved after his supposed death. Both Sam and Gabriel spoke at the same time, “How are you alive?”

Sam answered the question first. “Cas pulled me out of the cage, and then Death got my soul back.”

Gabriel sputtered for a moment, unsure where to even begin responding to that statement and refusing to even consider the thought of Sam without a soul. He settled with, “Better explanation please?” They filled him in on the cliffs notes version of their last year and a half, and he could only shake his head. “But wait, the message I got said that both archangels and both vessels were pulled in the cage? What happened to you?” He asked Dean as an afterthought. 

Dean shuffled his feet. “They couldn’t get a yes from me so they took our younger brother, but enough about us. How are you alive?” Dean asked.

Sam really hoped that there was a good explanation for his lack of action the few months following the hotel incident as Sam had begun calling it. Gabriel began, “Well I managed to survive the attack at the hotel,” He didn’t get any further than that before Dean erupted. 

“And you just left us with that? You didn’t even try to help?!”

Gabriel had the presence of mind to snap his fingers and transport them to a deserted warehouse before he risked losing his temper out in the open, then he grabbed Dean and shoved him into the wall, barely able to hold back enough to refrain from causing any lasting damage. As it was Dean would be quite bruised and sore for a few days. “You arrogant, self-righteous, ungrateful dick!” Gabriel roared at him. “I almost died. I spent a month unconscious. I was barely out of bed when I got the message that you were in the cage, it was two months after that before I even had the strength to transport myself anywhere. I gave you the information you needed to end things, and I nearly died for you two jackasses, and you dare come here and act like I didn’t do enough!”

Dean would never admit that he nearly wet himself faced with the archangel’s fury. He could certainly tell that Gabriel was restraining himself, as evidenced by the fact that he was still in once piece. After all, he had seen Lucifer snap his fingers and completely disintegrate another angel, so Gabriel doing so to a human would have been just as effortless. Needless to say Dean was very glad for Sam’s intervention. 

Sam stepped up and put a gentle hand on Gabriel’s arm. He knew that he had to distract him long enough for Dean to collect himself enough to apologize, so he said the first thing that came to mind. “Thank you Gabriel,” he said softly. “Are you ok now though? Was there any lasting damage?”

Gabriel’s eyes softened, and he let go of Dean who slumped to the floor. “I’m alive and back to full strength which is more than I expected for a while.” Gabriel shrugged as if it were nothing, but Sam didn’t miss the flash of emotion which disappeared as quickly as it came. Unfortunately too quickly to identify. 

By this time Dean had picked himself up off the floor. “Gabriel…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

“I don’t care what conclusions you jumped to. Even if I had been fully healthy, I did my part. I helped you escape and gave you what you needed to fix things. It wasn’t my fight, it wasn’t my fault, and it certainly wasn’t my problem. I didn’t have to do as much as I did.” Gabriel said still angry, but much more in control. 

Before Dean could put his foot in his mouth again Sam jumped in, “You’re right Gabriel. And thank you again.” Sam said cutting a glare to Dean who mumbled apologies under his breath. 

Gabriel suddenly clapped his hands, “Well good. Now that we have all the drama sorted, I should get back to work.” 

Before Gabriel could snap his fingers Sam called for him to wait. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at the younger Winchester. “I really hate to say this, especially after everything you did for us, but we are hunters and you are killing people…” he trailed off. 

Gabriel sighed. He could tell that Sam really didn’t want to act on the information, and he considered daring them to try to stop him, but figured it would be easier to try and reason with them first. “You know I don’t kill all of my targets. I only kill the ones who are irredeemable. If there is the slightest chance that they can change I just teach them a lesson and move on. And now that you know what I am, you know that I can see their souls so I know who is redeemable and who isn’t.” 

Sam and Dean looked at each other and Dean nodded reluctantly so Sam turned back to the trickster archangel and said, “Good enough for us. Just try to stay under the radar of other hunters. We can’t vouch for them.” 

Gabriel grinned mischievously. “Aww Sambo. Are you worried about me?” He drawled batting his eyelashes. 

Sam just rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. Just as Gabriel was snapping away Sam called out, “And keep in touch.”

After he was gone Dean muttered, “He could have at least taken us back to the car. I don’t even know where we are.”

Sam huffed a laugh. “I think we are just lucky that you’re alive after that, so let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth huh?”

It turned out they only had to walk about 3 miles to get back to the car. It could have been much worse. They decided to leave town and give it some time before trying to talk to Gabriel again. 

The big question was what to do about Cas and the civil war in heaven. Gabriel could tip the balance and they owed it to Cas to tell him that Gabriel was alive, but they owed it to Gabriel to honor his wishes. In the end they decided to give it a week or so, and then pray to Gabriel and see if he would come to see them, then tell him about what was going on in heaven and give him the option. 

 

Gabriel, contrary to what he told the Winchesters, did not go back to work, but snapped himself back home and sank unceremoniously onto his luxurious sofa. He was glad they were alive, sure, but he hated himself for being glad. And he hated them, well Sam anyway, for how easily he could get him to feel again. What was it about the annoying hunter that just blew right through all the walls he put up? He indulged himself in a small tantrum and threw a few things that shattered against the wall. Damn hunters and their damn puppy eyes and their damn touching. Gabriel maintained that he could have kept his distance if it hadn’t been for the concerned hand that Sam put on his arm, and the compassion in his eyes. Gabriel let his head fall back and groaned in frustration. 

It was about a week later when Gabriel heard the prayer from Sam. He let out a heavy sigh. He had heard Sam ask him to keep in touch, but he had no intention of doing so. He found himself unable to ignore the prayer though, so he followed the connection to them and appeared, rather annoyed, in a large library. “What have you two muttonheads got yourself into this time?” Gabriel snapped, just knowing they had called him for help with something. 

“We haven’t done anything. We just thought you should be made aware of what your brothers are doing.”

Why did they always have to pull on his heartstrings like that? He just wanted to be left alone. Rather than show the conflict he was feeling, Gabriel just waved a hand as if he hadn’t a care in the world, “By all means then. Make me aware so I can get back to my day.”

Dean started to get his hackles up but Sam glared him down. “Well we don’t know details. Cas has been mostly tight-lipped, but we do know that there is currently civil war in heaven. Raphael’s side wants to spring the cage and get the apocalypse back on track and Cas is mustering everything he can to stop him, but since Raphael is an archangel, he is pretty much getting his ass kicked,” Sam summarized. 

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. If the cage got sprung then Sam would be back in the hot seat as Lucifer’s vessel, and damn him again for caring. He sighed, “For the love of…call Castiel down here. I don’t want him to know I’m alive until he gets here.”

Dean obliged, hoping that Gabriel was going to pledge his support to Cas, but not very optimistic about it. Cas arrived rather disheveled and leaking grace from more than one cut, but nothing that looked serious. Gabriel clucked his tongue and reached out to heal his little brother, who gaped at him for a moment, but didn’t have a chance to speak before Gabriel began. “Now that we are all here, I am going to say this once, and only once. This is not my fight. I will not get involved,” He then glared around the room, daring anyone to dispute that. His next actions depended on their reaction. Sam looked disappointed, Dean looked affronted, and Castiel looked hopeless, but no one argued with him, which is all he was concerned about, so he continued, “But there is something I can do without getting involved.” They all looked at him hopefully. “Archangels are capable of promoting other angels to the rank, with the obvious increase in power levels to go along with it. It’s seriously against the rules, but hey,” he shrugged, “who cares about rules anyway? It will give you a fighting chance to take Raphael on as equals, but you cannot tell anyone that I am alive or where I am and you cannot ask me for any more assistance in this matter in the future. Do we have an agreement?” He asked his brother. 

“And if there are questions as to how I gained in status?” Castiel asked.

“Tell them you don’t know. Tell them Father must have seen fit to promote you. I don’t care, so long as you leave me out of it.” He looked expectantly at Castiel.

Castiel slowly nodded, “We have an agreement brother, but may I call on you socially?”

Gabriel sighed again, “We will see,” he said as he reached out to put one hand on Castiel’s forehead and one on his stomach after warning the two humans to either shut their eyes or leave the room. The light still hurt their eyes even with them closed and arms in front of them, but they were still intact and when they opened them again Castiel’s wings were showing in the shadows, but instead of having two wings, he now had the archangel’s traditional six. Castiel stumbled a bit, but was caught by his brother. “You probably feel pretty weak right now. I couldn’t fill up your tank so to speak, so it will take a few days to charge. I suggest getting as much rest as possible.”

Cas looked to Dean with a question in his eyes, which Dean replied. “You know which room is yours.” 

Castiel nodded in relief and looked to Gabriel, “Thank you brother.” 

Gabriel just waved him off and as Castiel left the room, Gabriel turned to the other two. “So was there anything else you needed me for?” he asked rather disgruntled. 

Sam spoke up, “No, but you’re welcome to stay and hang out.” He noticed that flash of unreadable emotion in Gabriel’s eyes again, but it was again gone as fast as it appeared. 

“Nah. Got places to be, things to do. Catch you later,” Gabriel said as he snapped his fingers and disappeared. 

 

Now that Gabriel was back home he could mull over the fact that he felt compelled to answer the younger Winchester’s prayers, and felt compelled to do something to prevent the cage from being opened again for his sake. If he could figure out why he was feeling what he was feeling, perhaps he could do something to fix it. He refused to allow himself to be vulnerable to anyone ever again. Nearly getting killed…again…by one of his brothers, not to mention the goddess he once cared for, just cemented that idea in his mind. 

He still had not come to a conclusion when the younger Winchester prayed to him again a week later, asking him to come by and ‘hang out’. He snorted and ignored it, with some effort, but obviously they didn’t need anything and he felt no desire to spend time with him and risk getting any deeper than he had to. Again, after another week, he received the same invitation, and again ignored it. It seemed that this was going to be a weekly thing. 

Only a few days after that prayer though, he received a rather panicked prayer for help, and couldn’t help but snap his fingers and transport himself to the hunter’s side, where he found both hunters mortally wounded surrounded by more than a dozen demons, and he felt a white hot rage. He yelled for the hunters to close their eyes and only hoped they listened before he glowed brightly and vaporized every demon in the room, and likely every demon in a five mile radius, the way he lost control, before falling to his knees beside Sam and quickly healing him, before lazily doing the same for Dean next to him. 

As Gabriel began to stand up, Sam reached out and grabbed his hand. “Thank you Gabriel,” he said reverently. Gabriel had never looked more like an angel than he did at that moment. After coming in and smiting their enemies and crouched over them healing them, with the dim light glinting off his hair almost like a halo, and Sam had never loved him more than he did in that moment. 

That pang of emotion came over Gabriel again, much stronger this time, nearly bowling the archangel over, and this time it was more than a flash that Sam saw in his eyes, but a few seconds later Gabriel disappeared without a word.

As soon as Gabriel reappeared at home, he said aloud to no one at all, “I am so royally fucked,” and fell onto his couch and put his head in his hands. He finally knew why he was so attached to the young hunter, and he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had somehow fallen in love with the little bastard. He snapped his fingers to materialize a lamp that he, once again, threw at a wall. Well screw that. Just because he couldn’t stop it didn’t mean that he had to do anything about it either. He was so not going to open himself up for that. 

 

As Sam and Dean picked themselves up off the floor, they were still a little dazed about what happened. Gabriel had only been there for under a minute, and they were barely conscious for most of it, so it took a moment for them to convince themselves that it really happened. They walked back to the car and headed to their motel room to take a nap before they headed back to the bunker. 

Sam said very little during that time though, and didn’t really sleep much either. He reasoned that he could sleep in the car if he needed to, but he couldn’t get his mind off Gabriel. First there was the emotion in his eyes that Sam got a much better look at this time, which he now recognized as fondness and maybe more. It was the maybe more that kept his mind occupied, and he couldn’t deny how right the archangel’s hand felt in his, for the brief moment it was there at least. And then there was the question of what he could do about it. Whether the elusive angel had feelings for him or not, he was not likely to be receptive to them from what Sam could gather. Not unless Sam could get through his shell and earn his trust, which was easier said than done if he was never around. 

 

Sam continued to pray to Gabriel every week with offers to ‘hang out’, but Gabriel still kept ignoring them. He figured the kid would have gotten the hint by now, but no, he couldn’t just leave the archangel alone. Gabriel considered muting his prayers, but didn’t for fear that he would get into another life-threatening situation. Just because Gabriel had no intention of indulging his feelings (he sneered that word even in his own head) didn’t mean he could let the kid get killed either. And of course, it did happen again. It was only about 2 months since the last time that Gabriel got another panicked plea for help, and just like last time, he immediately snapped himself to the hunter’s side to be greeted by the sight of his Sam…wait, his Sam?...where the hell had that thought come from? Tied to a post with a group of demons torturing him with his own knife. There was a great deal of blood, and Sam’s face looked like mincemeat, and most of his clothes were barely there from so many cuts. 

Gabriel once again felt a white hot rage, and telling the hunter to close his eyes, blasted all of the demons away. Seeing that none of the injuries were particularly life-threatening, Gabriel cut the ropes binding the hunter before placing his hand over the hunter’s cheek and healing him. He tried to ignore the way the hunter leaned into the touch, but when Sam once again grabbed his hand as he pulled away, and looked into his eyes with a heartfelt, “Thank you Gabriel,” he found himself unable to move for a moment.

Sam was not surprised that Gabriel had come to save him again, but he was exceedingly grateful, and not just because he was safe now, but because it was Gabriel who made him safe, just as he always did. No matter if he was running from his feelings or not, he could always count on Gabriel to keep him safe. And now Sam was certain of what he saw in the archangel’s eyes, and he couldn’t say he didn’t feel the same way. He would find a way to get through to him. Somehow. 

When he regained his composure, he stood quickly, and spun around putting his back to the hunter and nearly snarled, “Where is your brother? If he had been here…”

Sam interrupted him, “If he had been here, he would be in the same situation. He was checking out a lead on the other side of town when I stumbled into this trap. Seems putting Lucifer back in the box has me on a lot of demonic hit lists,” Sam said firmly, but without the heat that Gabriel spoke with. Sam knew that Gabriel was using the anger to push him away after his vulnerable moment. 

“Well call him already and make sure I don’t have to go save his ass too while I’m here,” Gabriel snapped. 

Sam smothered a smile and did as Gabriel asked. After checking in with his brother he assured him that he was fine, and Gabriel disappeared before he could get another word out. Sam just sighed heavily, but he had a plan. 

 

Gabriel reappeared in his house, and began pacing. “Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck,” He was beginning to feel like a child throwing things all the time, so he attempted to refrain and instead kicked the wall, which of course only resulted in a hole in the wall, which he then snapped his fingers to fix, before he plopped onto his couch and put his head in his hands and tried to will his feelings away. Of course it didn’t work, which just worsened his mood. On the plus side his punishments for assholes were getting more creative with all the pent up emotions he was repressing. Gabriel grinned evilly. He knew just who to target next too. 

Gabriel was taken aback to get a prayer from Sam the next day, so soon after he had seen him. He was even more surprised that instead of just an offer to stop by, or a plea for help, Sam was just talking to him; telling him about his day. Gabriel scrunched up his nose in confusion. Surely the hunter would figure that if Gabriel actually wanted to know about his day, he would have shown up to talk to him. After a few moments Gabriel just shrugged and tried to tune it out. When the same type of prayer came through the next day, Gabriel just sighed, and once again tried to tune it out, and the day after that, and the day after that, and so on for weeks. It should be said that while trying to tune it out, Gabriel never once succeeded. Even worse, it soon grew from just telling about his day, to talking about other things; his past, the books he’d read, hunts he’d been on, and so on. The young hunter was relentless, and didn’t seem to be getting discouraged at all. 

After more than a month of these daily assaults on his brain Gabriel had had enough. He followed one to appear beside the hunter. “What are you doing?” He asked heatedly. Sam turned to look at him with a grin, which is when Gabriel realized that he had fallen into the trap that Sam had expertly set. Gabriel’s pride wouldn’t allow him to flee…err retreat…err leave…without an answer. 

Still grinning Sam just said, “Well it dawned on me that unless you know me better, you have no reason to trust me, and since you weren’t going to stick around to get to know me I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

“Any why, pray tell, would you care if I trust you, or know you?” Gabriel asked in a bored tone crossing his arms. 

Sam’s smile began to show signs of nervousness, but he forged ahead. He wasn’t going to let the angel get away so easily, so he bent down and pressed a tender kiss to the angel’s lips, trying to convey as much meaning as he could into it since he would likely only get the one chance at this. Gabriel froze for a few seconds before his hand reached up to cup the hunter’s cheek and he was kissing back with just as much feeling. It was a good thing Gabriel didn’t need to breathe because at that moment there was no chance that he could have if he tried. 

Sam just reveled in the pure bliss he felt at that moment. There was nothing that could compare to kissing his angel. He knew it wouldn’t last long before Gabriel ran away so he savored every moment, and took care not to push his luck by deepening the kiss. And sure enough, it took Gabriel all of a minute to realize exactly what was happening, and he disappeared mid-kiss. 

Sam huffed in disappointment, but the smile was still plastered on his face. He had gotten a reaction, and just the reaction he wanted. He could be patient. He would be patient. And when he succeeded, it would be that much sweeter. He would give him a break for a few days, give him time to wrap his head around this before praying to him again. 

 

Gabriel once again appeared in his house, falling to the couch and letting his head fall into his hands. This was getting very out of hand. That was one the chastest kisses he had ever experienced, but also one of the most heart wrenching. Gabriel would never admit it out loud, but he was terrified. Letting his guard down, meant getting hurt…every time…and he didn’t know if he could survive this one. He was still determined to keep to his course and not let himself get involved and he resolutely ignored the tears dripping down his face.

It seemed that Sam had stopped praying to him daily. Apparently he finally realized that the archangel wasn’t worth the trouble, and he pretended to be relieved so that he wouldn’t have to acknowledge how much it hurt. He also pretended to be annoyed when it started up again a few days later. It went much the same way as before, with the hunter just talking, but now before he finished he always said something along the lines of always being there for Gabriel, that he was never going to hurt Gabriel, and/or that he just wanted to be with Gabriel. He never harped on it, or went into monologues on the subject, it was just that single reassurance at the end of every prayer. 

He wouldn’t admit that he was softening, and reconsidering his stance on ignoring it. After a few more weeks of that he got another desperate cry for help, and as with the last few times immediately appeared at his hunter’s side, to find them once again in a trap set by demons, except this time, they apparently sent many more since the last two parties sent to do the job hadn’t returned. Gabriel growled with fury and this time trapped one of the demons in a shield against the wall. There was no need to tell the hunters to close their eyes as they had both lost consciousness by that point, and he blasted all demons except for the one he protected. After healing the Winchesters he stalked over to the demon, who was now unshielded but still pinned to the wall, with his power unshielded and rolling over him, giving him an ethereal glow. He was hiding the archangel part of his power, having deliberately chosen one of the dumber demons that wouldn’t recognize him without it, but he was showing more than enough power that, combined with killing approximately a hundred demons in under 3 seconds was more than enough to inspire crippling fear. He snarled at the demon, “You return and spread the word that the Winchesters are off limits, or the next demons I catch will not get off nearly so easy.” He released the demon who wasted no time whatsoever in disappearing to do as he was told. He turned to see Sam and Dean who were looking at him in awe and he realized his power was still showing so he tamped it down. Sam reached for him, but he disappeared, but this time not without giving Sam a small smile. Sam couldn’t help his smile after that either. He couldn’t help but hope that he was actually getting through to the stubborn archangel, and he certainly couldn’t deny how much that display turned him on.

 

Gabriel returned home cursing himself for what he’d done. Not only had he risked his exposure by letting one of the demons go, he was afraid he actually encouraged Sam in his relentless campaign. He wasn’t sure which was the more worrying. He had heard through one of Sam’s monologues that things were settled in heaven now, with Castiel running things so he wasn’t around much at all anymore, having his hands full in heaven. He hoped Cassie was doing a good job up there, and so he wasn’t worried about being forced to return to heaven, or banished from ever returning and being cut off from his power, but that didn’t mean he wanted anyone else to know he was around. 

He spent the remainder of the night considering what to do about the Sam issue. It was becoming more and more obvious that he couldn’t just keep ignoring it. It wasn’t going away, and more importantly, Sam wasn’t going away. He suddenly thought of a new tactic in that matter with an evil smirk. He didn’t have to show any vulnerability to have Sam, and he would soon know if Sam truly wanted him or not. 

When Sam next prayed to him he listened, and when he heard the words he was waiting for a few days later, namely, “I just want you Gabriel, however I can have you,” He smirked again and appeared beside him. 

“Are you sure about that Sam?” Gabriel asked, cruel smirk still on his face. He would give the hunter what he wanted, but he would make sure that he didn’t enjoy it, if only because that was the only way the archangel could keep his heart out of the picture. 

To Sam’s credit, even in the face of such a disturbing expression on the archangel’s face, he didn’t hesitate for a moment before saying, “Absolutely.” He knew from the moment he saw the archangel that this wasn’t going to be anywhere near as pleasant or as meaningful as he was hoping, but he was getting somewhere, and he would prove to the archangel that he could take whatever he dished out without running scared. 

The word had barely left his lips before Gabriel’s lips were on his in a bruising kiss. Gabriel’s tongue forced his way past Sam’s lips without even giving him the chance to open for him, and Gabriel’s hands were tangled roughly in Sam’s hair. Sam just held Gabriel tightly around the waist and kissed him back for a few moments. Once Gabriel realized he was getting lost in the kiss, he growled and turned his attention to Sam’s neck and jaw with some not so gentle nips, most of which would bruise, and one even drew blood, but Sam responded by running his hands up and down Gabriel’s back. Damn hunter was meeting his assault with gentleness. Well he would fix this. 

While Sam wasn’t exactly fond of the rough treatment, he did find himself aroused by it at the same time. Gabriel ripped his shirt open popping all of the buttons off while thrusting his hard cock against Sam’s where he had him pinned against the wall, drawing a low moan from the hunter, and causing Gabriel’s eyes to darken even further from lust, not that Sam could see his eyes at that moment. Once the remainder of his shirt was removed from his body, his pants got the same rough treatment, but Gabriel just snapped to undress himself. Gabriel took a moment to look appreciatively at the hunter’s erection before using a hand in his hair to force him to his knees. 

Sam knew what was expected of him at this point and didn’t even give Gabriel a chance to force the issue, before taking the archangel’s cock in his mouth. The archangel was obviously enjoying himself if his body’s reactions were any gauge, but he stayed resolutely silent, roughly fucking the hunter’s mouth, until Sam lurched forward all the way deep-throating Gabriel, which finally tore a moan from the archangel. It only went on for a few more moments before Gabriel decided that was enough fooling around, and utilizing his angelic strength drew the hunter up by his shoulders and threw him facedown onto the bed and wasted no time climbing on top of him. 

This is the part Sam was nervous about. If the rest of the session were anything to go by this was going to be done without any preparation. He just hoped the angel had some mercy and at least used lube. Once he felt the hard cock at his entrance he realized that his hopes were founded thankfully, and he forced himself to relax as he was thrust into un-mercilessly and repeatedly. He bit back the cries of pain and after a few moments the pain dulled and he found himself enjoying it and before long his own cock was straining for release, but Gabriel had him pinned too tightly to the bed for him to do anything about it. 

Sam noticed the rhythm getting faster and more haphazard as Gabriel’s hands were on his back in a bruising grip, and then he felt Gabriel’s release inside him. Gabriel leaned down and after biting Sam hard on the shoulder, once again drawing bood, hissed in his ear, “Still want me?”

Sam again didn’t hesitate before saying “always.” Gabriel was taken aback at that response and promptly disappeared. He would have done that no matter the answer of course. 

Sam rolled over on his back wincing as his abused ass touched the bed, and he gave his own smirk as he purposely opened up a prayer channel to the asshole archangel as he moaned and cried Gabriel’s name as he brought himself to completion. 

 

Gabriel had no sooner returned home, landing gracefully on his bed with a perplexed look on his face, when he felt the prayer channel open up from Sam. This was it he thought. He would get raged at and told that Sam never wanted to see him again. When he realized what Sam was doing however, he couldn’t help the warmth that spread through him as Sam called his name, and even started to feel just a little bit guilty over his treatment of the hunter. Not guilty enough to fix it. At least not yet, anyway, but guilty enough that it started to gnaw at him just a little. He had been so sure that the hunter would abandon him after that treatment. After all, better now than later when he was even more invested, he had thought, but Sam didn’t reject him, and Gabriel didn’t understand why, and Gabriel didn’t like not understanding. 

 

When Sam woke the next morning and stumbled into the bunker’s kitchen, Dean took one look at his brother, namely the bruises all along his neck and jaw and just said, “Dude, what the hell happened to you?” Sam just turned a goofy grin on his brother who then turned white and said, “Never mind. I so don’t want to know.”

 

When Sam prayed to him the next day, he expected some recriminations then at least, or a guilt trip or something. Anything but the normal conversation followed by an assurance that Sam would always be there for Gabriel. Gabriel felt guilty enough though that he didn’t go back. Not for a while. It was a few weeks later before he would follow the prayer link to the hunter again. The hunter looked at him and smiled when he showed up. Gabriel studied his face carefully for any hint of fear or trepidation and found none. “Why do you want me?” Gabriel asked at a loss for an explanation and not daring to admit that there was a small sliver of hope. 

Sam stepped forward and took both of Gabriel’s hands in his and looked him right in the eye, completely ignoring the way the archangel was squirming uncomfortably at the contact, and he said, “Because I love you Gabriel.” And Gabriel could see in his eyes that Sam was completely serious. And Sam knew that as soon as he said it Gabriel was going to run, but he could see in Gabriel’s eyes before he did that his feelings were returned, and at least now he knew, and Sam knew that Gabriel wouldn’t get it out of his head so easily. 

 

Gabriel let out a shaky breath once he reappeared at home. He slid down the wall until he was sitting with his knees to his chin before letting his head fall back to thump the wall. Now what could he do? Could he actually let himself trust again? Could he open up to someone again? If he was betrayed again it would completely destroy him, but he was beginning to suspect that he was already completely destroyed so what could it hurt? He turned those thoughts over in his head for a while, and only realized that an entire day had passed when he got another prayer from Sam. This one was less about his day, or his past, or anything else casual, and more on the theme of how he was never going to hurt Gabriel, or leave him, or any of a hundred other things that Gabriel could possibly be fearing, and Gabriel was left wondering when that annoying human learned to read him so well and so completely. 

For the second night in a row, he appeared next to his hunter after his prayer and said desperately, “I’m no good for you Sammy. I’m broken. You’ll see that eventually,” ‘and leave,’ the archangel almost added, but caught himself just in time. This was his last chance to get out with any sense of dignity. 

Sam gave a sad smile, knowing now that he had won, and this was the last hurdle. He stepped up to the archangel and cupped his cheek in his overly large hand, noticing how Gabriel leaned into the touch with his eyes closed, and he said softly, “I already see that Gabriel, and I love you anyway. Even if I can never fix you, I will always love you,” 

Gabriel was so overcome with emotion, that he couldn’t stop the tears from leaking from his closed eyes, and this time when Sam kissed him Gabriel eagerly kissed him back softly and gently, making this time everything the last time was not. When they pulled apart Sam kissed the tears from Gabriel’s cheeks as Gabriel just whispered, “I love you too Sammy,” 

Their lips met again, but this time Sam licked out his tongue and Gabriel eagerly opened for him and just drank in the taste of his hunter, while running his hands over Sam’s face and chest and running his fingers gently through Sam’s hair, still unable to believe that this was really happening. And when they came together later, it was slow and sweet and filled with love.


End file.
